Reversible and adjustable metal cobbling shoe last



G. M. BAKER. REVERSIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE METAL COBBLING sHoE LAST.

APPLICATION FILED DEC,5,192I- Pmfiented Nov. 1922.

III

Patented Nov. 7', 1922,

GEORGE MICHAEL BAKER, 0F PHILADELPHIA, ZENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE METAL C(JBBLING SHOE LAST.

Application filed December 5, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon M. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible and Adjustable Metal Cobbling Shoe Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shoe lasts, which are adjustable to shoes of different sizes be tween certain practical limits, as for instance, between sizes 6 to 8 and 9 to 11, that is to say, one last for use with the smaller sizes and another for the larger ones.

My last is also reversible. so that the same one maybe used for the right shoe as well as for the left shoe, only a very simple setting" being required.

The main object of my invention is now to provide a last, that may be used by the aver age person, when repairing shoes for himself or his family, without having to send the shoes to a professional cobbler. In this manner, the farmer, for instance, with a bio; household and having no access to a cobbler, might have all shoes repaired on the premises both for children and grown up people, with the use of only two or three lasts.

The comparative lightness of the last is also an advantage, its weight being less than one quarter of an ordinary metal last. Hence a traveling cobbler would have a much smaller weight to take along, considering the reduced number of pieces as well as the smaller weight of each piece.

In the accompanying drawing, two embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

F igure 1 shows the last inserted in a shoe and adjusted to the same;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the last with the different parts separated;

Figure 3 is a cross section of the instep portion of the last, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified form of the instep portion.

My last consists of a heel portion 10 and a half-sole portion 11 which each have a plurality of instep portions attached to them. The heel portion 10 is provided with twoouter instep fingers 12 and a central one 13 and the half-sole portion 11 is also provided with two outer instep fingers 14 and a cen tral one 15. All of these fingers are hinged to their respective heel and half-sole por- Serial No. 520,085.

tions 10 and ll, as shown at 16 and .l'i', respectively. The central fingers 13 and fit snugly between the outer ones and the central finger 13 is provided with one or more holes 18 running in perpendicular direction of the last. On the upper face of the central finger 13 is provided a counter bore 19 for the head 20 of the bolt 21. The bottom face of the central finger 13 is smooth but offset with regard to the correspondine" bottom surface of the heel portion 10. Th? central finger 15 of the half-sole portion 11 is constructed similarly to the central finger 13, but instead of the holes 18 providedin said finger, the central finger 15 has a l0n9itudinal slot 22 adapted to register with the holes 18 in the other central finger. This linger 15 is also provided with a counter bore 23 running along the slot 22.

' By referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the upper surf ces of fingers 1e are flush with the corresponding surface on the half-sole portion 11 and that an offset 2st is provided on the opposite side of the fin gers 14. The outer fingers 12 on the heel portion 10 are constructed in the same manner, but their offsets are in this case on the upper surface, so that, when both portions are pushed together, the fingers will engage and form smooth surfaces on both sides of the last.

After the heel and sole portions have been pushed together, so that the corresponding fingers engage with each other. the length of the last is adjusted to suit the shoe into which it is intended to go, by sliding the fingers upon each other, whereupon the bolt 21 is slipped into one of the holes 18 and through the slot 22 until its head 20 comes flush with the face of the finger 13, whereupon the wing nut 25 is drawn up lightly on the opposite side and in this manner securing: the heel and sole portions together.

In order to reverse the last from the right to left shoe, all that is needed is to loosen the wing nut 25 and reverse the bolt so that its head will engage in the counter bore 23 in the finger 15 and the wing nut will enter the counter bore 19 in the finger 13.

As not only the length of a shoe varies the width thereof also varies to a certain extent, and for that reason I provide detachable strips 26 having a pair of small lugs 27 adapted to engage in corresponding apertures 28 in the side of the half sole portion 11. The inner surface of the strip 26 must naturally conform to the outer contour of the side of the half-sole 11. By supplying different thicknesses of strips, the last will be adaptable to diiierent widths of shoes. I may also supply similar strips for the heel if necessary.

The use of the device is as follows: The heel and half-sole portions are first assembled to the approximate length of the shoe with which it is tobe used,by screwing down the wing nut 25 lightly on the bolt 21. The last is now inserted into the shoe and placed against its bottom, so that the heel and sole portions will conform to the shape thereof. The nut 25 is then drawn up tightly and the shoe filled up with rags or other suitable material to'hold the last firmly in the shoe, when it will be ready for use in ordinary manner for attaching sole leather and heel pieces to the shoe. H

In the modified form illustrated in Figure 4, single instep fingers 30 and 31 have been shown for the heel and half-sole portions 10 and 11 respectively. Like the central fingers 13 and 15 previously described they are also provided with offsets 32, 83, grooves 3 1, 35 and slots 36, 37 for bolts and nuts 21, 25. The difference between this and the previously described form, is that the instep fingers 30 and 31 have the full width of the heel and sole piece respectively at the'hinges 38 and 39. I

It will be evident, that the last may be used without the strips 26 and, in case the shoe were Wider than the last, that the space on one side may be filled up with v rags, while work is being done on the other side and the last thereupon shifted over to the first side for completing the work.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A reversible shoe last comprising a halfhalf-sole portion and a heel portion, a plurality of instep members hinged to each of said portions and arranged in opposing, interengaging pairs, one member in each pair being ofl'set on the opposite side to its mate, one pair of said members having corresponding apertures, and a bolt and nut adapted to engage said apertures and secure said members in selective positions.

3.- A reversible shoe last comprising a halfsole portion and a heel portion, a plurality of instep members hinged to each of said portions and arranged in opposing, interengaging pairs, one member in each pair being offset on the opposite side to mate, means for securing said members together in selective positions, and a strip adapted to be detachably secured along the side of one of said portions. 7 v

4:. A reversible shoe last comprising a half-sole portion and a heel portion, a plurality of instep members hinged to each of said portions and arranged in oppo'sing,interengaging pairs, one member in each pair being ofiset on the opposite side to its mate, one pair of said members having corresponding apertures, abolt and nut adapted to engage said aperturesand secure said members in selective positions, and a strip adapted to be detachably secured along the side of one ofsaidportions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE MICHAEL BAKER. Lsj 

